Container and dispensing mechanism



United States Patent Roger A. Drexler;

Stephen F. Michatek, Rochester, New York 725,783

May I, 1968 Nov. 10, 1970 Eastman Kodak Company Rochester, New York a corporation of New Jersey Inventors Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee CONTAINER AND DISPENSING MECHANISM 9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 222/82, 222/363 Int. Cl. B67b 7/24 Field of Search 222/386, 391, 541, 327, 363, 366, 342, 406, 415, 326, 82, 83

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/193 3 Brubaker 222/405 X 11/1953 Reinhardt 222/326X 4/1964 Myers et a1. 222/88X 1/1967 Wagner 222/342X Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Attorneys-R. W. Hampton and Leonard W. Treash, Jr.

ABSTRACT: A container, which can be used for toner replenishment in electrostatic developing apparatus, has a top openable by slitting with a knife and a bottom which is movable toward the top for pushing toner over the top where it can be skived into a toner reservoir. Positioning, slitting and dispensing mechanisms are provided which perform these functions without operator handling.

Patented Nov. 10, 1970 Sheet 1 of 2 PIC-3.2

STEPHEN F. MICHATEK ROGER A. DREXLER INVENTORS ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 1@, 1970 Sheet 3 of 2 STEPHEN F MICHATEK ROGER A DREXLER INVENTORS ATTORNEYS CONTAINER AND DISPENSING MECHANISM CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Reference is made to commonly assigned copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 725,810, entitled "Container and Dispensing Mechanism, filed May 1, I968, in the names of Conrad Altmann and Donald D. Leenhouts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to toner handling mechanisms for electrography, for example, to toner containing and dispensing mechanisms for use with apparatus for developing electrostatic charge patterns.

In electrographic apparatus using dry toner powder, for example, eleetrophotographic developing apparatus, such toner must be replaced periodically. Common commercial toners present considerable difficulty to handling both because they blacken everything they touch and because they are extremely difficult to thoroughly empty from any container.

Disposable toner containers presently in use generally are opened by an operator and emptied into a dispensing mechanism in a developing apparatus. Complete emptying of toner from such containers into a dispenser by hand without excessive blackening of person and clothing is a delicate operation in which failure is common.

Many toner containers have been designed which are adapted to be inserted into a machine where they function as a dispensing container. Such devices have the advantage 'of eliminating a dispensing container as a permanent part of the machine. However, insertion of such prior container-dispensers has commonly involved operator handling of the container in the actual dispensing area with the attendant blackening of his person and clothing. Because of the dual function for such containers, they have been of complex design and expensive to manufacture.

Other toner containers have been designed which, when inserted into a machine, are opened by the machine and emptied of toner into a separate dispensing mechanism. These have an advantage over prior toner containers of reducing the risk to the operator of blackening of his person and clothing on insert. However, such prior containers have generally been of complex design involving complicated couplings with the machine itself and including mechanism for assuring thorough emptying of the container. Because of such complexities, the container is commonly removed for reuse when empty, with a risk at that point of blackening the operators person or clothing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a toner container which can be opened automatically and which can function as a portion of a toner dispensing mechanism in an electrographic machine.

It is another object of this invention to provide a toner container which can also function as a dispenser in an electrostatic developing apparatus and which is simple enough to be constructed of an inexpensive material which economically maybe thrown away after use.

It is another object of this invention to provide a mechanism for receiving and opening such a toner container and for thoroughly dispensing toner from it.

These and other objects are accomplished by providing a toner container having a first end member readily slit'table by a knife and a second end member which may be moved toward the first end member by a suitable means, for example, a plunger.

It is also a feature of the invention to provide a mechanism for receiving such a container which mechanism includes a stationary knife positioned and shaped to slit the first end member as the container is inserted in a machine or alternatively as it is moved from an inserting position to a dispensing position.

It is another feature of the invention to provide a opened toner container while a plunger pushes the second end member toward the open end thereby pushing toner above the top of the toner container. It is another feature of the invention to provide a skiving means to skive this toner off Into a toner reservoir or other receiving means according to a demand for toner.

These mechanisms in combination give a remarkable overall system requiring only an inexpensive throwaway container while providing a high degree of convenience, cleanliness and thoroughness of toner utilization.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a perspective view of a container constructed according to the invention, with parts broken away for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the container shown in FIG. I.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container shown in FIG. I with a mechanism for receiving, opening and using such container with parts broken away for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, vertical section of the container. similar to that shown in FIG. 1, in a dispensing position illustrating one embodiment of a dispensing apparatus useful therewith.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section, similar to FIG. 4, lllustrating an alternative dispensing mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, side view illustrating an alternative mechanism for holding the container shown in FIG. 1 in place during a dispensing operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIGS. I and 2 show a toner container 20 having four side walls 1, 2, 3 and 4, an openable end member 5 and a movable end member 6. The sidewalls can be made of inexpensive throwaway material, such as cardboard. The openable end member 5 can be constructed of a slittable material such as paper, forming a seal over the top of the container. Portions 7 and 30 of side walls 4 and 3 also are formed of slittable material. The movable end member 6 can be made uppartially or wholly of a resilient material such as polyurethane to provide a tight seal with the sidewalls. To assist in insertion in a machine, a lip 9 is provided on one of the sidewalls 2, a slot It is provided at the bottom of one of the sidewalls and flanges II) are provided also at the bottom of two of the sidewalls The container may come with a boxlike cover, not shown, to protect the openable end member 5 from rupture in handling.

As shown in FIG. 3, the container 20 is placed in a container guide chute 12 where slot lll is engaged with a container positioning mechanism 13 and lip S is engaged with one side M of the guide chute 12. The positioning mechanism 13 includes a bar 15 which is pushed by the operator to move the container from an insert end 17 to a dispensing end 16 of guide chute 12. As the container 20 is moved from the insert end to the dispensing end of the guide chute l2, it engages a stationary knife blade 8 which first pierces the slittable portion 7 of sidewall 4 and then strips the openable end member 5 from the container 20.

In FIG. 4, the container 20 is shown in dispensing position. Flanges 10 are now engaged with slide fingers 18. A plunger 19 is moved by ratchet means Zll into engagement with the movable end member 6 of the container 20. As plunger I9 is moved in an upward direction, movable end member 6 is also moved upward, thereby compressing the volume on the inside of container 20 and forcing toner above the now open top. A

netic brush 25. Alternatively, it can be made to function in response to a signal from a toner concentration monitoring device, for example, a photocell, not shown, positioned to monitor changes in the optical reflectivity of developer on the surface of the magnetic brush 25.

FIGS. 2 and 5 each show alternate skiving means for feeding toner from the open end of the container into the reservoir 24. According to- FIG. 5, a skiving means 26 is provided which is similar to the skiving means 22 shown in FIG. 4 except that it is shaped to serve as a cover for container 20 when the skiving means is in a toner dispensing position. According to FIG. 3, skiving is accomplished with an endless belt 27 carrying skiving blades 28 in a single direction through an endless path which passes across the open portion of container 20. This arrangement has the advantage of eliminating the return movement of the blade past the open top of the box, thereby eliminating any tendency to push toner to the side of the container opposite the reservoir.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative arrangement for preventing movement of the container 20 as the plunger 19 urges the movable end member 6 in an upward direction. A stop 29 is positioned to prevent upward movement of each of opposite sidewalls 3 and 4 as plunger 19 is moved upward.

As can be seen from the foregoing. several features of the invention work in combination to provide effective toner replenishing to an electrostatic machine with an inexpensive toner container. However, it can be seen that certain of these features can be used by themselves to advantage with other mechanisms. For example, the knife mechanism for opening the toner container can be used with other dispensing means; and the skiving means can be used with other opening mechanisms and, in fact, with arrangements in which a toner container is opened by hand as well as with other containers. An example of a container different from that disclosed herein but usable with the skiving mechanism disclosed herein is disclosed in a copending application, Ser. No. 725,810, filed in the names of C. Altmann and D. D. Leenhouts on May I,

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be un derstood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A mechanism for replenishing toner in a toner reservoir in an electrostatic developing apparatus, which mechanism is adapted to be used with a volume compressible toner container having a discharge opening, said mechanism comprismg:

means for supporting such a container in said apparatus;

means located in said apparatus proximate said toner reservoir and operatively associable with a container supported by said support means for compressing the volume in a supported container to force toner out of said opening; and

means for directing toner forced out of said opening into said reservoir.

2. A mechanism for replenishing toner in a toner reservoir in an electrostatic developing apparatus, which mechanism is usable with a toner container having two substantially opposing first and second end members, said first end member being removable, and said second end member being movable toward said first end member, said mechanism comprising:

means for receiving said toner container;

means for removing at least a portion of said first end member to form an opening;

means, located proximate said toner reservoir and cooperable with the second end member of a received toner container, for pushing said second end member toward said first end member to push toner out of said opening making said toner accessible; and

means for feeding such accessible toner into said reservoir. 3. A mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said means 5. ln electrographic apparatus of the type having a toner reservoir, a mechanism for dispensing toner from a toner container having a portion made of a material slittable with a.

knife, said mechanism comprising: 1

means for receiving such a toner container in a first posi tion;

means located at a second position in said apparatus for directing toner from such a container into said reservoir;

means for moving a received container from said first position to said second position; and 4 knife means positioned to intersect a received container as it moves from said first position to said second position to cut an opening in the slittable portion of the container.

6. A toner replenishing mechanism comprising:

toner reservoir means;

a toner container having a compressible volume, a rupturable first end member and a second end member movable toward said first end member;

means for receiving said toner container in a first position;

means for moving said container from said first position to a second position;

knife means positioned to rupture said first end member as said container moves from said first position to said second position;

means for pushing said second end member toward said first end member when said container is positioned in said second position to force toner through said rupture in said first end member; and

means for skiving toner forced through said first end member into said reservoir means.

7. In electrographic apparatus having a toner reservoir. :1

, toner supply mechanism adapted for receiving, opening and utilizing toner packages, said mechanism comprising:

a. means for receiving a toner package;

b. means for moving a toner package along a path from said receiving means to said toner reservoir; and

c. severing means located along said path for cutting open a toner package during movement from said receiving means to said toner reservoir.

8. The invention defined in claim 7 further comprising means, located proximate said toner reservoir and cooperable with a toner package moved to said toner reservoir, for selectively discharging metered quantities of toner from an opened package.

9. The invention defined in claim 8 wherein said mechanism is adapted for use with a toner package having a movable discharge assistant and said means for selectively discharging said toner includes meansfor operating a discharge assistant of a toner package at said toner reservoir. 

